Azu's Akatsuki Tale, Chapter 03
by KorinaK
Summary: Azumi is going to attempt an escape from the Akatsuki! Will she make it, or will she be captured along the way? Hope you enjoy the story!


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters…. etc, etc. If I did, then the Akatsuki would be more of a big player in the story! I might draw a picture of Azumi soon…. hope you like the story.

Azu's Akatsuki Tale, Chapter 03: Expect the Unexpected

My watch informed me with a friendly "bing!" that it was eleven p.m. I stuffed the pillows underneath the blankets. It might buy me some time if someone came to check on "me" unexpectedly.

My bag was still sitting next to the door. I nervously unhooked the necklace from around my throat. This was crucial to my escape…. I slid the charm under the door, listening frantically for approaching footsteps. None that I could hear. I ran my chakra through the necklace, willing it to reach the lock hanging outside the door.

I slid the necklace around, and hit the lock. Before I could unlock it through the necklace, footsteps rang out, coming closer.

Hissing through my teeth, I hauled the bird-charm back inside quickly. The steps were Kakuzu's, unhurried. I let him get a safe distance away, and then resumed sliding the charm outside of the door. This time, it made contact with the lock. I ran my chakra through the necklace in to the lock, and fiddled around. It clicked open, much too loudly.

I clicked the door open, and pushed it lightly. It wouldn't budge. I gave it a hard shove, and then a fierce push. The door….

The door _creaked_ open loudly. It made a sound so loud that I immediately feared that the hinges were rusting and falling apart on me right then. I could almost feel the earth-shaking tremor as they hit the ground, followed by Kakuzu turning around and strangling me as I trembled.

Kakuzu seemed deaf. His footsteps continued to retreat. I threw a prayer up to any God listening like the way my dinner had come up three nights ago.

I crept out the door, and pushed it back. It groaned furiously. Kakuzu's deafness held.

Following him down long, rank corridors, I started to wonder if we would ever get to the door. Suddenly, footsteps echoed close behind me. Tobi.

I ducked in to the nearest doorway, and then realized he was holding a light. I had no choice: I tried the door- unlocked, thank God- and slipped in to the room.

Light breathing inside informed me I was in someone's company. When I creeped a little closer to the center of the room, I felt a bed. The faint light of my watch told me that it was the candy-eater/freaky-transgender Deidara in the room, and also informed me in its friendly glow that it was 11:45 p.m. Deidara was sleeping, thankfully.

Making sure that Tobi passed by a safe distance, I headed out again. I didn't want to think about what would happen if either Kakuzu or Tobi headed back again. The corridors were narrow enough so that I could reach out with my hands and touch both the sides easily.

Listening to make sure I didn't get too close, I headed towards the door. He seemed to be going the same way. I prayed fervently that the door, please God, would _not_ be guarded by some horrible monster that would fix on me with its little beady, bloodshot eyes and swallow me in one hot gulp while Kakuzu laughed manically. (Kakuzu: Bwahahahahahaha!!!)

There, the door. Though it was _still_ pitch black, the outside was visible. A cool wind swept in, and I guessed the moon lit the sky. Now would probably be a bad time to get all poetic, so I focused on the bad news: Some big shadow was blocking the door, probably a person and the goal of Kakuzu's long walk out here.

"Hidan, finally back," intoned Kakuzu's calm voice.

In the silence that followed, I heard a wet dripping sound. Rain? No…. I realized that the pools of dark liquid on the floor, glinting in the moonlight, were _blood._

I have no inherent fear of blood, but I recoiled. That much bleeding couldn't be good for Hidan….

"…The money…. where is it?" asked Kakuzu.

Hidan stuck out a hand, and passed something to Kakuzu. Then, randomly, he said, "If she doesn't try tonight, you know we'll have to…"

Kakuzu must have smirked. I could almost hear the grin in his voice as he said, "Oh, never knew you were that attached… pervert."

I winced. Who were they talking about? I decided it was me, since I didn't think Hidan was the gay type. I mean, um, I _hope_ he wasn't...

They were muttering now, and I only heard a few whispers: "She won't…" "…standing right here, couldn't…." "Didn't…. couldn't have followed….."

I almost laughed. They had as good as confirmed my question. They expected me to escape, and if I didn't, "something" would happen. Hmph.

Kakuzu was still talking about a trivial something, keeping Hidan from getting inside. Hidan's answers got shorter and shorter and more impatient. The blood was splattering the floor every time he spoke. Judging by this, they weren't going to leave anytime soon.

"… has until midnight, that's all," said Kakuzu. I panicked. I couldn't risk sliding my neon-glow watch out. And last I checked, it was 11:45 p.m. Shoot. I studied the way Hidan was standing. Kakuzu was standing in the shadows, and Hidan was leaning against the doorframe with one arm. I hadn't expected this at all. I was stuck until they moved, and then they might close the door.

But…!

This was risky as hell. But I had to do it.

I slid closer and closer to the door, confident that neither Kakuzu nor Hidan could see me. But the problem was, could they hear me?

Quietly, carefully, I slid on my feet, crouching down until I was only five feet away from the door. Kakuzu took no notice of me. Hidan was definitely sounding impatient now.

My mind took the pause as an opportunity to plague me with "what if" situations, mainly all resulting in some kind of bodily injury on my part. I grimaced. The mind is one's worst enemy sometimes.

To shut my mind up, I moved. In one quick slide, I quick-stepped towards the door, under Hidan's arm and around him. A drop of blood fell on my arm, and I shivered thinking about how close he had been. I leaned against the other side of the wall, holding my breath. Kakuzu could easily have seen me as I fled, but I was sure my feet had made no sound. Now was the make-or-break moment…

A few moments later, the door clanged shut behind me. I was in another corridor, but a much shorter one since I could see the moon. I ran through it almost in a trance, emerging after a minute or two in the moonlight. I was in a calm forest.

I set my course towards the mountains I was at the foot of. I would climb up, and then see where I needed to go.

I had made it. Now I just needed to find where I was again.


End file.
